St. Kosmas Aitolos Homeschool Community promotes academic and creative arts contests that are open to all Orthodox children regardless of jurisdiction, country of residence, or method of education. We welcome you to participate!

If you sponsor or are aware of an academic or creative arts contest for Orthodox children that does not restrict participation based on Orthodox jurisdiction, and is not listed here, please email us at stkosmashomeschoolcommunity@gmail.com, so that we may add it to our website.

Eligibility: Contestant must be an Orthodox Christian (baptized Orthodox or officially enrolled as a catechumen in the Orthodox Church) and must be born in the year 1999 or later. There are no eligibility restrictions based on Orthodox jurisdiction, type of schooling, or country of residence.

Prior Publication: Essay must be original, not previously published (online or in print) or submitted for publication elsewhere.

Language Requirements: Essays may be in English or Greek. They must be the original work of the child and must be submitted in the language known to that child. If a child is able to write in both Greek and English, the child may submit his/her essay in both languages, but may not have the essay translated by someone else for submission.

Prizes: $100 will be awarded to the winning essay in each of the following four categories:

A 1st place winner will be chosen from among the four categories above, and will receive an additional $500 credit towards the family's registration & lodging costs at a future St. Emmelia WEST Conference (paid for by sponsors of the St. Kosmas Homeschool Community). All four winning essays will be published on the St. Kosmas website and may also be published in printed Orthodox periodicals. Essays become property the of St. Kosmas Homeschool Association.

Essay Submission Process:All contestants must submit their essay as a pdf through an online form available on this web page October 1. The form will ask for information about the author and will allow for the essay to be uploaded as a pdf and submitted as an attachment. Time period for submissions is from October 1 through December 31, 2018.

Judges:The judges will be announced on this webpage in October.

Topics for 2018 Essay Contest:

Topic #1: About the Life of St. Kosmas Aitolos

Develop one or more of the following themes:

1) Talk about about the childhood of St. Kosmas. In what way did his childhood prepare him for the work he did as an adult? How did his work affect the Greek nation? How are we benefited by him today?

2) What parallels can be drawn between the culture in which he lived and our own? What about the life of St. Kosmas Aitolos makes him a fitting patron for Orthodox education in the 21st century?

3) What do his life and words teach us about the goals and purpose of education? Discuss how Orthodox homeschools (as well as Orthodox parochial schools) fulfill St. Kosmas' exhortations.

Topic #2: About the Krifo Scholio

1) What is the Krifo Scholio? When and why did it exist? What were children taught in the Krifo Scholio? How did it help them as children, and later as adults?

2) How did the Krifo Scholio affect the Greek nation, the Church, and the preservation of the Greek language?

3) How is the Krifo Scholio relevant to us today in the 21st century - both in regard to the Church and to education - and what can we learn from it? Is there anything that took place during the time of the Krifo Scholio that parallels what is happening today in our country or educational system?

4) Though some sources today cite it as a myth, how do we know that the Krifo Scholio took place historically? Why do you think there are efforts to discount the Krifo Scholio?

2018 St. Kosmas Annual Art Contest for Orthodox Children

HOSTED BY ST. KOSMAS AITOLOS HOMESCHOOL COMMUNITY

Eligibility: Orthodox Christian children through age 19 (baptized Orthodox or officially enrolled as a catechumen in the Orthodox Church) regardless of how they receive their education (homeschool, public school, private school, etc.); international entries accepted.

Prize for Winning Artwork: $100 for the child, plus a $500 credit towards the family's registration & lodging costs at a future St. Emmelia WEST Conference (paid for by sponsors of the St. Kosmas Homeschool Community).

Theme for 2018 Fine Art Contest: Timeless Orthodoxy in the 21st Century

Students’ artwork must be original. Computer-generated images and traced images will not be judged. It is critical that submitted artwork not be overly derivative of images found on the Internet, in print media, or elsewhere.

Artist Identification: The child should NOT sign the piece of art work. There should be no writing (letters or numbers) on the artwork unless the letters or numbers are part of the image being represented (example: letters on a street sign, numbers or letter on a building, letters on an icon within the scene).

No iconography submissions will be accepted. This contest is to encourage creative development activities within Orthodox education settings, and iconography is not a forum for creative development. No traced images and no iconography will be accepted for judging. However, it is perfectly acceptable to submit a piece of work that contains icons within the composition. (example: a picture of someone venerating an icon is an acceptable submission; a picture of the interior of a church filled with icons is an acceptable submission; a picture of a procession with icons being carried is an acceptable submission; but an iconographic image on its own will not be accepted for judging.)

Art work submission details coming soon!

Annual Photography Contest for Orthodox Children

Hosted by St. Kosmas Aitolos Homeschool Community

2018 St. Kosmas Annual Photography Contest for Orthodox Children

HOSTED BY ST. KOSMAS AITOLOS HOMESCHOOL COMMUNITY

Eligibility: Orthodox Christian children through age 19 (baptized Orthodox or officially enrolled as a catechumen in the Orthodox Church) regardless of how they receive their education (homeschool, public school, private school, etc.); international entries accepted.

Prize for Winning Photo: $100 for the child, plus a $500 credit towards the family's registration & lodging costs at a future St. Emmelia WEST Conference (paid for by sponsors of the St. Kosmas Homeschool Community).

Theme for 2018 Photography Contest: Timeless Orthodoxy in the 21st Century

black & white OR color

No photo collages.

No photoshop or digital editing.

Out of respect for the privacy of the monastics, St. Kosmas Homeschool Association will not be accepting any photo entries in this contest that include the faces or profile images of monastics.

St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine Annual Essay Contest

Eligibility: age 13-19, any ethnicity, any jurisdiction; but the essay must be according to the theme

Prize for Winning Essay: 1st place = $500; 2nd place = $250; 3rd place = $100 (awarded through St. Photios National Shrine)

If a member of St.Kosmas Homeschool Community places in this contest, the highest placing member of St.Kosmas Homeschool Community will also receive a $500 credit towards the family's registration & lodging costs at a future St. Emmelia WEST Conference (paid for by sponsors of the St. Kosmas Homeschool Community). To become a member: visit saintkosmashomeschoolcommunity.com/join-us

Topics for 2018 St. Photios Essay Contest (choose between the following two topics):

(1) There are many historic and sacred sites throughout the world. What makes St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine a historic and significant site for Orthodox Christians?

(2) Virtually every American born in the United States can trace their history to an ancestor who was first to arrive in America. Compare and contrast your family’s immigrant history with the immigrant history of the Greeks who came to the New World under the British Indentured Servitude Act in 1768.